What happened
On July 7, 2026, Hungary's main public television channel, M1, ceased news broadcasts, and the state-run Kossuth radio station was entirely suspended. These drastic measures were announced as part of a significant media reform agenda by the newly installed government of Prime Minister Péter Magyar, who took office in April after the ousting of Viktor Orbán. Orbán had maintained tight control over state media throughout his 16-year tenure, which Magyar characterized as a period of 'propaganda broadcasts.'
The temporary cessation of transmissions included a stark on-screen message on M1, stating: 'Public media should not lie. We are sorry for doing it for so long. Public media now will be reformed so it will be independent and trustworthy.' Kossuth's frequencies were replaced by classical music. Both M1 and Kossuth's websites were also taken offline. MTVA, the operator of M1, indicated that the channel would eventually restart in a new format, gradually reintroducing news bulletins with a new editorial team.
Prime Minister Magyar hailed the day as 'historic,' emphasizing that it 'marks the end of propaganda broadcasts on public media platforms,' asserting, 'They lied at night, they lied during the day, they lied on every wavelength. That is now over.' This action directly fulfills a central campaign pledge made by Magyar, aiming to restore independence and trustworthiness to Hungary's public media landscape.